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the peony family (order Saxifragales), consisting of only the genus Paeonia with about 33 species distributed in Europe, Asia, and western North America. Economically, the group is important for various garden species of peonies, whose showy large blossoms grow in a wide range of forms and colours. Several species of peonies of southern Europe and Asia were also cultivated for food and as a medicinal herb.
A genus of flowering plants (family Paeoniaceae) known for their large showy blossoms. All but two species are native to Europe and Asia, and several species are cultivated as ornamentals and for the floral industry.
A genus of small herbaceous plants, in the family Oxalidaceae, comprising about 850 species, native primarily to southern Africa and tropical and South America. A few South American species have edible tubers or roots, but most members of the genus are familiar as garden ornamentals. The name is derived from the Greek word oxalis (“acid”) because the plants have an acidic taste.
the wood sorrel family, is composed genera and species that are characterized by their compound leaves with leaflets having thickened bases (pulvini). Many species show movement by closing their leaves or leaflets at night or in bad weather. Oxalic acid accumulates in the plants, giving them their distinctive sour or “sorrel” taste. Most members of Oxalidaceae are found in tropical regions, but some are native or even weedy in temperate regions.
A family of flowering plants, comprising of parasitic plants. The largest family of parasitic plants, its members are found nearly worldwide and are especially common in Africa, Madagascar, and warm areas of the north temperate zone. A number are serious agricultural pests.
A genus comprised of terrestrial orchids (family Orchidaceae) native to Eurasia and northern Africa. The tuberous roots of the early purple orchid (Orchis mascula) and several other species contain a nutritive starch. In southern Europe they are collected and dried to produce a flour that is mixed with sugar, flavourings, and liquid (such as water or milk) to produce a drink called salep.
